Racism.

I'm hesitant to write this post, because writing on matters of race always makes me nervous.  It's a topic that's so charged with pain both historically and presently, and a topic that's so often misspoken about, that I usually would shy away from writing about it in a place as potentially impersonal as a blog.  A long conversation, a dialogue -- that I would love.  So reader, please understand that that's what this post is -- a humble attempt to step into a dialogue that has long been running with people far more experienced and wise than I.

That said, here it is: a reflection on race in Romania.

In the United States, race and racism and related issues occupied my mind frequently.  My first two years of college were spent on a dorm floor dedicated to anti-racism; the church Jack and I attended was intentionally and vibrantly (and sometimes painfully) multicultural; the neighborhood we lived in was full of issues of race and class and gentrification; and my work at the CRC Office of Social Justice often delved deeply into racism and other social issues.  I am honored to have learned much from the Grand Rapids people who have long lived and dealt with the issues of race in that city -- members of CORR (Congregations Organizing for Racial Reconciliation), MSDO staff at Calvin College, and so on.  I am by no means an expert, but I have learned to recognize the deep-seated prejudices in myself, to call them out and challenge them.  I have also had my eyes opened to a myriad of ways in which systemic racism infiltrates every part of American society, granting me and other white people invisible privileges and withholding them from others.  There is much I do not know, but I have learned, wrestled, cried -- and found, somehow, hope and passion for this issue, which is so very close to the heart of the God who unites us in His Kingdom.

So it's interesting to be in Romania, a place where everyone pretty much looks, well, white (to me, at least).  But there are plenty of undercurrents here that remind me of the United States.  Especially the way Romanians feel about the Roma.

Roma people, or Gypsies, comprise a sizable minority in Romania -- more here than in other European countries, though they live across the continent.  Here in Târgu Mureș, they're easily distinguished by their clothing: the group in this area belong to a certain clan whose men wear hats similar to an American cowboy hat and whose women wear beautiful, long, colorful skirts.  Many Roma people have slightly darker skin than the average Romanian, but to me they still look white, and I can't always pick them out.  Roma people are generally assumed to be unsavory -- pickpockets at best, dangerous criminals at worst -- and their social exclusion is quite apparent.  Though there are no formal laws (that I know of) prohibiting Roma from attending the same shops, schools, or churches as anyone else, the segregation is visible.  All of the beggars we've seen here have been Roma, and daily we see Roma people picking through dumpsters, carrying enormous loads wrapped in cloth on their backs, often accompanied by disheveled children who are clearly not in school.

Obviously, the situation cannot be compared exactly to the systemic racism against African-Americans and other minorities in the United States, but I'm seeing a lot of similarities.  When I talk to Romanians about the topic (which I do often, because I think it's fascinating and important), they often say things like, "Well, they're pickpockets, dangerous -- I feel unsafe with them around."  "Of course I think we shouldn't discriminate against them -- they should be able to get jobs legally, but they just don't want to work."  "They don't value education.  The parents aren't educated, so they don't send their kids to school like we do."  "I try not to be prejudiced, but I just can't help but notice them and think that way."

It makes me cringe, just as the racist generalizations in the States do -- and the statements are remarkably similar, aren't they?  Here too, I want to cry out, "But why?  How are you so sure?  Do you understand the history, the systems that reinforce this reality?  How dare you assume?"  It's fascinating to be an outsider here and observe the situation -- in the U.S., I'm busy dealing with my own racism and prejudice and baggage and history of oppression.  I'm not a neutral observer here, either, but Romania's history and prejudices are not mine, and thus the lens is different.

So what to do with all these observations?  After all I've learned in the States, I am far from naively believing that any of this can be easily solved.  But awareness and conversation and relationships and willingness -- those are the first steps, as always.  As an outsider here, I'm not sure what part I can play in the conversation about racial reconciliation in Romania.  But for now, I'll continue to observe and learn and pray.  I know that reconciliation is close to the heart of God... and if He cares about it, then His people better pay close attention.